Q&A: LOU COOPER

Why did you decide against a retrospective album to celebrate Toolroom’s 15th birthday?

When we initially discussed the project, we all agreed that we had already done the retrospective reflection of the label’s history with the Toolroom Ten campaign and we wanted this album to be different and feel more unique. So, rather than looking back, we decided to look towards the future and make the album a celebration of all of our favourite artists.

This has been the biggest album in Toolroom’s history, why did you decide to take on such a project?

Go big or go home, right? We wanted to give a true reflection of the label’s sound, so I reached out to artists that we have worked with on the label over the last few years and also artists whose music we appreciate and reflect in our compilations but haven’t worked with before. The response I received back about the project from all of the artists was overwhelming! Everyone wanted to be a part of the album and so the tracklisting just grew and grew from there.

How long did the album take from track demos, to store?

Eight months and a lot of blood, sweat and tears! That’s from initial conception to the finished product on stores.

What are some of the most exiting tracks / artists on the album?

Working with Booka Shade has definitely been a personal highlight, their track ‘Papua Beach’ is the perfect opener for any DJ set with it’s moody synths and atmospheric undertones. Format:B & DJ PP’s ‘In My House’ is another one of my personal favourites; the hooky vocals, drum breakdowns and hypnotic b-line make it a guaranteed favourite with fans of the genre and, of course, no Toolroom album is complete without a Mark Knight record or two; ‘In The Other Pocket’ reflects Mark’s trademark sound, jam-packed with plenty of energy and those signature drums!

“The album undeniably defines the Toolroom sound. It spans all the areas of House, Tech House and Techno that Toolroom is famed for, with every aspect of our sound intertwined throughout the album”

This album is about Toolroom looking forward and as a label, we’re incredibly good at nurturing new talent, which artists on the album do we need to keep our eyes and ears open for?

All the artists on there are 100% worth checking out but in terms of newcomers and one’s to watch for 2018 I’d say definitely Ruze, Wheats and Del-30.